and seated, which allows for two very different experiences.
API: You’ve done work in more than 30 countries. Can you talk about the differ - ences between building zip lines in North America and globally, and whether you see zip lines continuing to be a growth market internationally? Isiah: Every country is different and poses its own unique challenges. The largest difference is in the engineering phase, as countries all have their own unique permitting process, building codes, inspection policies, and safety standards. When it came to building in Japan, for example, they have their own standards for electronics, steel, etc., that we had to learn and alter our designs to suit. When it comes to operations, things don’t tend to vary so much, but what you do see is a wide variety of cultures, and people’s reactions to the ride and experience from one country to the next are very cool to see and be a part of. We are definitely seeing more interest globally and get inquiries from new countries all the time. Noah: There’s a lot of canopy tours but there’s not a lot of mega zip lines, and that’s what we specialize in—the bigger boys; longer, faster, higher. I think that’s why we’ve done so well in the U.S. Obvi - ously, we had a little bit of a slowdown during Covid, but it’s coming back really strong from our standpoint. API: It’s been said that your work treads the line between traditional zip lines that you might find at a summer camp and the kind of high-tech attractions you might find at an amusement park, where the guest is pretty much taken out of the operational picture. Do you think that’s accurate? Isiah: I’d say, more now than ever, we are pushing for a hands-off expe - rience for guests, so I see us more on the amusement park side than the traditional side. This is not to say that we won’t build a zip line for a summer camp, but we’re gonna make it as
Noah Smith at Skyline’s Hanazono Zipflight installation in Niseko, Japan.
the final product or vision. We are very active people whether it be snowmobil - ing, mountain biking, enduro riding, or water sports. I think this excitement for adventure and the unknown in our daily lives translates over to Skyline. Noah: My dad started the company 19 years ago after he hired this compa- ny to build a big, long, fast line for an adventure tourism business we owned in Whistler. And once the cable was up, we didn’t have the braking systems or the trolleys that were capable of handling these speeds. So, my dad was an innovator, and I guess kind of crazy when you think about it, but he decided to build out all his own components and equipment so that we could handle high speeds.
the fastest braking zip line in the world at the time (brake impact at 74 mph). Calgary was that first one that really showed people what Skyline could do. Since then, they’ve slowed it down be - cause it was quite scary for people that had never done zip lines. Isiah: I’d go with Hanazono Zipflight in Japan for its length, speed, and line profile. The third line starts high above the ground, then skims you along the tops of trees, out into the open, back through a corridor in the trees, and finishes on a 65-foot tower on the shore of a lake. I just feel it has everything we look for in an amazing zip line, not to mention it’s nearly 2 kilometers long.
Noah: That one’s also special because my dad initiated it before he passed.
API: What have been some of your favorite builds—the ones that exemplify what Skyline is all about—and why?
Isiah: Mega Zipline Iceland is our most recent build, and it is truly magnifi - cent. This line flies over a waterfall and down through a valley, crossing a river 10 times as it swerves back and forth below you. And you can fly both prone
Noah: We built the zip off the Calgary Olympic ski tower and that one was
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